Already detained for drug charges, a resident of Danao town who was armed when arrested, faces another investigation for suspected involvement in the murder of the security escort of the town’s vice mayor.
The combined forces of the Provincial Intelligence Branch, led by PSInsp. Jojit Mananquil, the Provincial Public Safety Company-SWAT team, and Danao police arrested Marlou Betasa, married and a resident of Barangay Sta. Fe, Danao during a buy-bust operation early morning on January 22.
The composite team sent by Police Provincial Director Dennis Agustin recovered one sachet of shabu and the 500-peso bill used as marked money during the operation.
Upon frisking Betasa, the police team recovered more packs of shabu from him, one in big size and four smaller packs.
It was later found from the results of the tests conducted at the crime laboratory that the total weight of all the packs of shabu seized from Betasa reached 6.12 grams with estimated value of P70,800.
The police team also recovered two cal. 45 firearms—an Armscor and a Colt model, 40 live cal. 45 ammunitions, and several drug paraphernalia from Betasa.
Police investigators recently tagged Betasa as one of the suspects in the murder of Jacinto Galvez Jr., bodyguard of Danao Vice-Mayor Louis Thomas Gonzaga.
Gonzaga now guns for a mayoralty comeback to replace his mother, Mayor Natividad Gonzaga.
Based on police investigation, Galvez was shot to death by three men masked with bonnets early morning on Monday last week in Barangay Magtangtang, Danao.
Galvez succumbed to multiple gunshot wounds and was declared dead on arrival by attending physicians at a hospital in Catigbian.
The three men allegedly waylaid him while he was heading to a store and shot him several times.
Scene of the crime operatives recovered several empty shells of cal.45 and .9mm ammunitions.
No less than Vice-President Jejomar Binay and Senator Gringo Honasan visited the wake of Galvez on Saturday during their Bohol sorties.
Second District Rep. Erico Aristotle Aumentado and Vice-Mayor Gonzaga accompanied Binay, Honasan and Makati City Mayor Jun-Jun Binay to the house of Galvez where they comforted his widow, Anna Mitzi Pena-Galvez.
Binay and Honasan also assured Galvez’s widow that justice will be served.
Prior to Danao, they had an interaction with representatives of different sectors and community leaders in Barangay Ilaud, Inabanga, and from Danao, they proceeded to Sierra-Bullones and Carmen.
He hopped to Cebu on Sunday to attend the opening of the 51st International Eucharistic Congress and came back on Monday to grace the groundbreaking ceremony of the senior citizens’ building in Corella for which the Vice President allocated P2 million.
Binay then proceeded to Baclayon where he was joined by Mayors Alvin Uy of Baclayon, Marlon Amila of Tubigon, Ronald Lowell of Buenavista, and Niño Rey Boniel of Bien Unido, former Danao mayor and now Vice-Mayor Tom Gonzaga, and other leaders in Aumentado’s group.